Target trap

ABSTRACT

In the target throwing machine disclosed herein, the gate which controls the release of a target from a rotary throwing arm is normally biased towards a target releasing position and is selectively held in target retaining position by a latch. After releasing a target, the gate is positively returned to its target retaining position by a cam in response to further rotation of the throwing arm.

United States Patent [72] lnvcntor George H. Darrell 25 Chestnut Street, Dedham, Mass. 02026 121] App]. No. 812,096 [22] Filed Apr. 1, 1969 [451 Patented Sept. 7, 1971 [54] TARGET TRAP 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52} US. Cl 1 i i v i 1241/32, 124/43. 124/6 [51] Int. Cl F4lb 15/00 [50] Field ofSearch. i i v 1 r i ,1 124/8 9.6t 43, 36, 32

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,171,623 9/1939 Connell 124/43 UX 253L613 11/1950 Darrell.... 124/8 2,652,820 9/1953 Darrell 124/8 2.711.726 6/1955 Darrell 124/43 X 2,996 O58 8/1961 Ervine A r. 124/8' 3304928 2/1967 Darrell t. 124/6 X Primary E.raminerRichard C Pinkharn Assistant Examiner-William R. Browne 4Il0rney-Kenway, Jenney and Hildreth ABSTRACT: In the target throwing machine disclosed herein, the gate which controls the release of a target from a rotary throwing arm is normally biased towards a target releasing position and is selectively held in target retaining position by a latch. After releasing a target, the gate is positively returned to its target retaining position by a cam in response to further rotation of the throwing arm.

PATENTEU SEP 7 I971 SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTOR. 7f- W PATENTEB SEP 7197! 3.603.301

INVENTOR.

all/LL45 76% 7/ 6" TARGET TRAP The invention comprises a new and improved trap for throwing targets, such as clay pigeons, in trap or skeet shooting. More particularly the trap includes quicker acting and more sensitive mechanism for releasing individual targets than has been heretofore available.

In a rotary trap, the problem of resetting the release mechanism (closing the target gate) after a clay target has been fired, has been handled in various ways such as (l) by means of a return spring, (2) by use of a counterbalance so weighted as to urge the gate into a latched position by centrifugal force.

Both these arrangements cause a frictional drag on the target which tends to slow its flight and deflect it from its intended course. Both systems are effected by centrifugal force which is a function of the speed of rotation of the throwing member. At high speeds gates of this type have been known to bounce back prematurely before the target is clear, thus fracturing it, or have failed to close in time when targets are thrown in quick succession resulting in a wild bird."

In the present system, the gate may be loaded or biased to fly open, when released, by use of a spring or counterweight. It will thus be held open until the target is well clear and then closed mechanically after the target has passed. The opening and closing is accomplished in a single revolution of the rotor thus permitting targets to be thrown in rapid succession.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view in elevation:

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view: and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view at an intermediate point.

The throwing element of the machine comprises an elongated rectangular throwing arm or plate mounted to rotate at high speed about a vertical axis and having in its axis of rotation a circular aperture in which normally rests a transfer disk 11. A projecting guide rail 12 runs along the trailing edge of the plate 10. Stops 13 secured to the under surface of the plate support the transfer disk in flush relation to the upper surface of the plate.

The rotor plate 10 has downturned sidewalls (not shown) between which is located a lower partition 14 formed with a downturned boss 15 in which is secured the upper end of a tubular driving shaft 16. The partition is rotated as an integral part of the throwing arm by a driven pulley 17 fast to the lower end of the tubular shaft 16. A solid transfer rod 18 is concentrically contained in the tubular shaft 16 and is arranged to be moved longitudinally through cam connections as shown in my prior Us. Letters Pat. No. 3,108,582. It is elevated to pick up the lowermost target in a magazine stack presented in concentric alignment by an overhead turret arm 19, and then lowered to bring the acquired target 'into flush relation with the surface of the rotor plate It) as indicated at 9. The transferred target remains momentarily in concentric position.

A function of the arm 20 is to push the transferred target into an eccentric position preparatory to launching it. A roller gate 33 determines and retains the target in that eccentric position. The arm 20 is fastened to the upper end of a shaft 21 which is joumaled between the plate 10 and partition 14 and biased by a torsion spring 22 against a stop pin 23 which determines its initial position. A short arm 24 projects radially from the shaft 21 and contacts with the upstanding arm 25 of a bellcrank lever journaled on a transverse shaft 26 mounted between the downturned sidewalls of the rotor plate 10.

The other arm of the lever terminates in a head 29 forked to engage the transfer rod 18 beneath a flanged plate 27 secured to the rod beneath a tubular boss 31 projecting downwardly from the transfer disk 11. In the boss is formed a cylindrical chamber in which is movably received a terminal flange 32 on I the upper end of the rod 18 and a compression spring 30. When the rod 18 is drawn downwardly the lever 25 is rocked,

after a slight interval of lost motion due to the spring 30, to advance the arm 20 into its eccentric target-launching position as shown in FIG. 2.

The gate 33 is secured to the upper end of a vertical shaft 34 journaled between the plate 10 and the partition 14. The shaft 34 is biased by a torsion spring 35 to hold the gate in its outward target releasing or track-clearing position. It is however initially latched in its operative, target-retaining position by a hooked latch 36 which is secured to the lower end of the shaft 34 and which carries a cam follower roll 37 at its free end. In FIG. 2, the target releasing position is indicated in dot and dash lines. The latch 36 is engaged by a dog 38 pivotally mounted to rock about a stud 39 which projects downwardly from the partition 14. The dog 38 is a release means which selectively holds the latch 36 in its operative position against the tension of the torsion spring 35 and when tripped releases the latch 36 and allows the gate 33 to snap into its target releasing position as shown in dot and dash lines in FIG. 2.

The dog 38 is urged to swing outwardly, or clockwise as seen in FIG. 3, by a hairpin spring 47 looped over a stud 41 projecting downwardly from the partition 14. The other end of the spring 47 bears yieldingly against the boss 15 of the partition.

A normally stationary rectangular plate 42 having a hub 43 has bearing within which the tubular shaft 16 is rotatable and carries a curved segmental cam 44. This cam is arranged to be engaged by the roll 37 of the latch 36 and to rock the latch in a clockwise direction toward its latching position.

The rocking of the latch is supplemented by a cam arm 45 pivotally mounted on the upper end of a shaft 46 set in the plate 42. The arm 45 is so located as to swing in a plane above the segmental cam 44 when engaged by the roll 37 of the latch 36, swinging from its full line position in FIG. 3 about to its dotted line position. In this position it provides a cam surface supplementing the surface of the segmental cam 44. The cam arm 45 is engaged by the roll 37 carried by the latch 36 on its under side and acting to swing the latch into latched relationship with the dog 38. A stop pin 48 projecting from the segmental cam 44 determines the unitial position of the cam arm 45 toward which it is biased by a spring 49. When the roll 37 passes off the end of the arm 45 the latter immediately flies back to its initial position, while the dog 38 retains the latch 36 in latched position. A roll stop 60 on the plate 42 limits the swing of the arm 45 to a position in which it takes control of the roll 37. The roll 37 on leaving the segmental cam 44 and the arm 45 is in a position such. that it clears the segmental cam in idle orbital revolutions of the throwing arm 10 pending discharge of another target.

A horizontal partition 50 is secured to the frame of the machine and provided with a bearing 52 for the tubular shaft 16. A rectangular swing plate 53 is pivoted at 54 to the partition. The plate 53 is provided with a clearance slot for a stop screw 58 fast in the partition 50. A cam 57 is mounted to rock about a pin 54 set in a sidewall of the partition 50. The cam 57 has a pin and slot connection with the plunger of a solenoid 59 and this is in circuit with a starting switch, not shown. When the solenoid is energized the cam is rocked upwardly and rocks the plate 53 upwardly.

A compression spring 55 surrounds a trigger pin 61 passing upwardly through a clearance hole in the relatively stationary plate 42.

When the solenoid 59 is activated the swing plate 53 is rocked upwardly and the trigger pin 61 is elevated thereby into the path of a curved cam arm 40 carried on the inner end of the dog 38. As the throwing arm 10 rotates, the dog 38 is thus rocked in counterclockwise direction and the latch 36 is freed to swing outwardly against. a stop pin 62 which projects downwardly from the partition 14. In this position the latch 36 is free to travel until it reaches the segmental cam 44 and the cam arm 45 by which it is swung again into latched position where it remains quiescent until the trap is again tripped.

The machine comes to rest with a target 9 resting partially on the transfer disk 11 and held in eccentric position by the gate 33 which is latched in that position but held under biasing displacement spring pressure. The rotor is now set in rotation with all the parts carried thereby while the plate 42 remains at rest in a position adjusted by the hand rod 56 as shown in FIG. 3.

Upon closing the control service switch the cam 57 at once elevates the tripping pin 6t by means of the plate 53 and immediately in the ensuing rotation .of the rotor the pin engages the cam arm 40 on the dog 38 and rocks the dog 38 into latchopening position. The shaft 34 is thus freed to turn and the gate 33 at once snaps into target releasing position.

In the continued rotation of the rotor the latch 36 is rocked inwardly to positively reset the gate 33 by action of the segmental cam 44 and the cam arm 45 and is latched again in the position shown in FIG. 3. All movable parts including the latch 36 and the dog 38 are latched in radial positions entirely outside the cooperating stationary parts such as the segmental cam 44 and the cam arm 45 so that the rotor continues freely in revolution until it is time to discharge the next target. Operating in this manner it is quite possible for the machine to put four or five targets in orbit at the same time, thus creating a problem requiring a high degree of skill on the part of the shooter.

Having thus disclosed my invention what l claim as new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is:

l. A target throwingmachine comprising:

a rotary throwing member;

a gate pivotally mounted on said member and movable between a target retaining position and a target releasing position;

spring means biasing said gate toward said target releasing position;

release means mounted on said member for retaining said gate in said target retaining position;

selectively operable means for operating said release means at a predetermined angular position of the throwing member, to permit said gate to move, due to said spring means biasing, to target releasing position; and

stationary cam means for positively resetting said gate to said target retaining position in response to further rotation of said throwing member after a target has been thrown.

2. A target trap as described in claim 1, in which a targetdisplacing arm is mounted on the throwing member for transverse target-displacing movement, the said arm being operatively connected to a bellcrank lever arranged to be rocked by a target transferring rod.

3. A target trap as defined in claim 1, said release means comprises a latch for latching the gate in operative biased position, a trigger pin supported vertically beneath the throwing arm, said operable means comprises a solenoid controlled means for advancing the trigger pin for unlatching the gate.

4. A target throwing machine as set forth in claim 1 in which the gate is provided with a cam follower and, a cam arm which is pivotally mounted for movement between a first position and a second position, the first position being such that the cam arm will be engaged by the cam follower when the gate is in its target releasing position and will be missed by the cam follower when the gate is in its target retaining position as said throwing member rotates, the second position being such that said cam follower is cammed to a position returning said gate to said target retaining position as said throwing member rotates. 

1. A target throwing machine comprising: a rotary throwing member; a gate pivotally mounted on said member and movable between a target retaining position and a target releasing position; spring means biasing said gate toward said target releasing position; release means mounted on said member for retaining said gate in said target retaining position; selectively operable means for operating said release means at a predetermined angular position of the throwing member, to permit said gate to move, due to said spring means biasing, to target releasing position; and stationary cam means for positively resetting said gate to said target retaining position in response to further rotation of said throwing member after a target has been thrown.
 2. A target trap as described in claim 1, in which a target-displacing arm is mounted on the throwing member for transverse target-displacing movement, the said arm being operatively connected to a bellcrank lever arranged to be rocked by a target transferring rod.
 3. A target trap as defined in claim 1, said release means comprises a latch for latching the gate in operative biased position, a trigger pin supported vertically beneath the throwing arm, said operable means comprises a solenoid controlled means for advancing the trigger pin for unlatching the gate.
 4. A target throwing machine as set forth in claim 1 in which the gate is provided with a cam follower and, a cam arm which is pivotally mounted for movement between a first position and a second position, the first position being such that the cam arm will be engaged by the cam follower when the gate is in its target releasing position and will be missed by the cam follower when the gate is in its target retaining position as said throwing member rotates, the second position being such that said cam follower is cammed to a position returning said gate to said target retaining position as said throwing member rotates. 